Tempura Okra

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Well, it’s Monday again, and all sorts of things are going on around here. The print function of the recipe plugin I use is still broken (I apparently have the developers stumped as to why), so for the time being, I’m uploading a printable .pdf file of the recipe and linking to it until we have this issue worked out. Although it’s beginning to look like it might be my web host, so I’m looking for a new one – I’d welcome any suggestions as to which company is best (this isn’t the only reason, it’s just the latest).

I’ve also changed the permalink structure – how the URLs, or web addresses, of individual posts are displayed – and have installed a redirect plugin. It seems to be working, but if you attempt to access a page or post, especially via a search engine, and get a “404 – page not found” error please let me know. I know it’s happening – I’m getting them right and left for the old printable .pdf’s of recipes – and I’m not sure why.

*sigh* They never tell you these things when you start a blog, do they? Thank goodness I’m reasonably geeky, or I’d be completely lost.

Anyhoo – moving forward.

Tempura fried okra is a thing of beauty – I truly do not know why I hadn’t tried it before. Tempura anything, for that matter, but it takes fried okra to a whole ‘nother level. It is light and crispy and not greasy or heavy at all. The secret, it seems, is in the ice cold club soda in the batter. No, don’t ask me why; I may be reasonably geeky when it comes to technology, but am not at all certain why this should be.

I do know, however, that a traditional tempura batter contains wheat flour (often a combination of wheat and rice), and should never be over-mixed or it will activate the gluten, resulting in a tough and doughy texture when fried. There’s no worry here, since I used tapioca flour and an egg yolk – you can beat it to death and that will never happen. The final product does not suffer at all; a tempura made with this way will rival anything made with a more traditional recipe.

Note: I didn’t really measure anything when making this, but I did use approximately equal parts of club soda and tapioca flour. If you feel you need to use more, go right ahead, but anything over 2 cups of each will probably need an additional egg yolk and a bit more salt. You should also be aware that you won’t use all of the batter or all of the dipping sauce, so the calorie/carb counts in the nutritional info are overstated.

Combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce - honey, soy sauce, lime juice and red pepper flakes - in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl or container and set aside.

Whisk together the egg yolk and club soda in a medium bowl until well-blended; slowly whisk in the tapioca flour until a thin batter forms (you may not need all of the flour). Heat the lard in a small, heavy skillet over high heat to 350 F. Working in batches, drop the okra into the tempura batter and turn with a fork to coat. Transfer to the hot lard and fry until crisp and beginning to lightly brown, turning once, about 1 minute per side. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate to drain; repeat with the remaining okra until it has all been fried.

6 comments

Yum, this looks good. Want to fix me dinner tonight? : )
Also,
Would you like two extra dogs? My house is under construction today and I’d like to give them away. You can give them back at a later date ….. : )

[…] Tempura Okra I recently had fried okra on the Big Island at a potluck and I couldn’t stop eating it…it was light and not at all slimy. I am determined to find some great recipes for it…I think this is one! […]